We all have two types of minds. One of them is constantly thinking about objects, emotions and thoughts around us that have names and forms. The mind is like an invisible radar that keeps searching the tower of knowledge all around unless it is in sleep.
It searches with a pair of spectacles called ‘like’ and ‘dislike’. Whenever it likes something, it goes after it, chases the object, person or situation and pegs itself to the object of fascination. If it dislikes something, it tries to run away from the person, object or situation. When you find yourself in the company of a neighbour who annoys you, you want to run away from that situation or fight and shoo away the other person. If you do not like to eat a particular vegetable, you either avoid it or go through the process of eating if you must, with utmost disgust. If you are in a difficult situation—like standing in a long queue at the ATM where users at the head of the trail are slowly grappling with the process of typing their ATM passwords and confusingly groping through the touch screen without a clue of what to do—you are not happy to continue standing there, but have to, to get your daily quota of Rs 4,500. Definitely it is not a situation that you may like. Yoga Sutras and many texts of yoga give numerous ways to integrate the outward bound mind that has a fascination for objects and the inner mind that ever wants to experience happiness.
One of the methods to integrate the mind is to constantly analyse. Each time you see the mountain, sky, river, the sunset or sunrise, the full moon against a dark purple sky, just drop all other entanglements of the mind. Totally focus on the form of what you see. Observe the contours, shape and different tone of colours of the objects you see around.
As you observe, the mind becomes quiet. Each object has a wealth of knowledge that it can offer you. The more you meditate, the more the object begins to communicate in a very silent language that you can understand. This is a yogic secret which reveals many global and other truths of nature. They are listed under the title of many siddhis in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras—a person who has for a long period of time, been observing the sun, he will get the knowledge of the whole word.
The more a person observes gold, the secrets of the manifestation of gold, silver and other precious metals will reveal itself to the seeker.
The Yoga Sutras point out many ways of integrating the mind. This integrity helps us to achieve any goal or ambition we wish to see fulfilled in our life and also choose to be on the path of peace, wisdom and renunciation.
Brahmacharini Sharanya Chaitanya
(www.sharanyachaitanya.blogspot.in)